Pitch count is changing baseball — and not for the better

San Francisco Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner works against the Oakland Athletics during the first inning of a baseball game Saturday, July 21, 2018, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

Photo: Ben Margot, Associated Press

A bit of grumbling, on two fronts:

•The most disheartening stretch of the Giants’ season came this week, when abject fear cost them two wins against Houston. Dereck Rodriguez and Madison Bumgarner were cruising through seven innings, not a single reason to call upon the bullpen, but it happened each time — and everything fell apart.

To blame manager Bruce Bochy is to include him with every other manager (and general manager) in the game, all of them terrified by computer printouts. Analytical data has destroyed the complete game, behind the theory that starters lose their effectiveness after going through the lineup a couple of times.

That’s perfectly fine in some cases — say, a perennially sore-armed pitcher or one who does tend to fall apart after six or seven innings. How does that apply to Bumgarner or Rodriguez, a bull-strong kid who didn’t even start pitching until 2013? Especially when there’s no hint that they’re in any kind of trouble?

If you can believe this, the major leagues’ co-leaders in complete games have exactly two. The Nationals’ Max Scherzer, who shouldn’t be removed at any time unless he has a hernia, checks in with one. Bumgarner and Cy Young candidates Trevor Bauer and Jacob deGrom: zero.

Good for Giants broadcaster Mike Krukow, who went on KNBR on Wednesday and said “the pitch count has changed the game in some negative ways and it really bothers me, especially when you see guys that are built for innings. I mean, it’s insulting to think you’re gonna take a guy like Bumgarner out of the game after 100 pitches.”

To Krukow, who pitched 41 complete games in his career, “Those last outs, to get the 27th out and stand on the infield with your teammates as they’re shaking your hand, that’s the best feeling that a starting pitcher can ever have.”

There it is. You just heard the gospel. Meanwhile, all you terrified managers and executives, carry on. Bow down to the analytics nonsense and be very afraid.

•When you awaken Friday morning, you’re likely to assume it’s the year 2018 — but you’d be only partially correct. In the realm of Oakland sports, it’s right around 1973.

Once again, we get the lamentable sight of the Raiders trekking across a dirt infield — they host the Detroit Lions in their exhibition opener Friday night — and then the A’s massive cleanup job to erase the ugly remnants of a football game.

The A’s have a meticulous grounds crew that ranks with the best in baseball, but those folks shouldn’t have to deal with this. And if the A’s are serious about the postseason (at this point, why not?), the two-sport awkwardness could continue well into October.

I suppose there’s a bit of romance involved, with sweet memories of Fred Biletnikoff, Lester Hayes, Catfish Hunter and Joe Rudi, and when the Raiders leave for Las Vegas, there will be waves of nostalgia about the good old days. For the here and now, though, this is a very tired look.

Bruce Jenkins has written for the San Francisco Chronicle since 1973 and has been a sports columnist since 1989. He has covered 27 World Series, 19 Wimbledons and many other major events, including the Super Bowl, World Cup soccer, NBA Finals, four major golf tournaments and U.S. Open tennis championships.

He graduated from Santa Monica High School in 1966 and UC Berkeley with a B.A. in journalistic studies in 1971.